Morris tribune., 1887-01-26
GOLD AND GLORY.

HowRecruits are Trained for the Army-Six Hun.
| bred Men Constantly in School on DaVid's
| Island.
| From the New York Herald.
From high staff on David's Island
floats the national ensign. David's
Island is place OF national impor-
lance. 1t is about twenty miles from
the city by water, and is the principal
recruiting depot of the United States
army 1t is more than that, indeed,
for the recruit is there taught to be q
soldier. What the university is to the
| professional man DaVid's Island Is to
the enlisted man OF the army. A uni
versity graduate becomes an A. b. 4
David's Island graduate become an
II. j. Both have the world to con-
quer. One takes a postgraduate
course III the law courts; the other
takes q postgraduate course on the
! plains among the Indians.
! There is no more important work in
the military service than the selecting
and first training OF men for the ar
my. 1t is work that requires the
| most careful attention to detail and
intelligent direction. 1t is perhaps a
military duty that is least under
stood by the general public, and the
| popular idea is oftentimes that any
miserable fellow, disguised with all
the world and bearing the record Of
crime, may throw off all responsible
ties and become soldier. In this the
general opinion is in error. The Gov
eminent seeks to throw all possible
influence against the recruiting of I'M
| fit men, and wants only the good ones.
To this end the Off GERS chosen tor the
service are those of experience.
There are three principal points, or
depots as they are officially termed
David's Island, Jefferson Barracks,
Missouri (for the cavalry only, and
Columbus Barracks, Ohio. There are
twenty-six sub-depots or rendezvous,
from which never Ceasing
supply of men is kept moving toward
the three great centers. In charge OF
all this system is superintendent of
recruiting service, with headquarters
in this city, who is Lieutenant Colo
mel A. L. Hough, Sixteenth Infantry,
whose Assistant Ad jutant General is
First Lieutenant r. H. Patterson, OF
the First Artillery
Lieutenant Colonel r. F. O'Beirne,
Of the Fifteenth Infantry, is the Com
manding Officer of David's Island, and
his Adjutant is First Lieutenant Cal
vim D. Cowles.
The Government requires about
5000 recruits each year. The APP
pllcants, at the recruiting rem
devious are carefully examined.
Many of them, indeed, are turned
away on general principles before ex-
animation, and only one in SIX is &C.
cepted after. The physique must be
good, the character las far as can be
learned) must be good, and if it is dis
covered after enlistment that a recruit
has committed crime he will be per-
emptorily dismissed. Then he is sent
to the island, where he is again exam
ined, and the first examination is
liable to be set aside if the man is not
all right. He is kept three months
and then drafted away, to some regi-
ment as required.
There are 600 OF the them there
now in all stages OF preparation;
| from he who turns his toes in
to he who wears a corporaPs
stripes for excellence at drill, and there
are few awkward men in the lot. 1t is
a surprising fact that three days in
! take most of the kinks out of a man,
| put stiffness in his backbone, and give
him that graceful carriage that can
only be attained by military "set-
ting up" These 600 are divided into
four companies. There is besides a
permanent force of sergeants, corpo-
rails, quartermaster's men, etc.
When q recruit arrives he is first
ushered into the awful presence OF the
Sergeant Major. whose eagle eye and
years of experience can detect q mus
Gle out ofplace. He then goes to the Ad-
jutant, is receipted for, assigned to a
company and gets his uniform.
\ good dinner comes next, as it
is assumed that the average recuit is
hungry. After dinner he is whisked
away to the hospital and vaccinated.
On the second day he is examined by
the surgeon finally, and if not rejected
land only about 1 per cent. are on
this final examination) is completely
uniformed. If he desires it he is allow
ed SO credit at the traders and AS
signed to a squad to be fashioned into
shape.
Drill is from 10 to IL O'Clock i'll the
morning and from 2 to O'Clock
in the afternoon The recruit
does no sentry duty at all for
the first month or so, or
until he is considered fit to perform
that responsible and honorable duty.
What does he do with his off time?
some one asks. Well, pretty much
as most men OF his sphere OF life
do before they enlist, except that he
probably has better time generally
and can throw the responsibility for
his health on the officers. Hecan go to
the club and play billiards; he can play
baseball, football, and other games;
he can read a selection ofseveral thou
sand books; he can occasionally go to
q dance, which the officers per-
NIT from time to time; he can
attend lectures and concerts during
the Winter season, and he has the
music of one of the best bands in the
service at all time. He can not whoop
1t up and paint the island red with
IMMUNITY, but he can do most OF the
things that the average citizen can,
and besides his credit is good at the
traders for beer, and that is not al
ways the case with the average citizen.
And yet there are recruits who are
not happy. Some of them brood
over thoughts that lead to all kinds
of extravaganza expression. The bar
racks are prisons; the uniform, stripes
OF penal servitude; the officers jailers,
and the army is condemned to the
demnitlon bowwows generally.
If a newcomer is intelligent, he has
little to fear from the drill sergeants.
If he is stupid or Intentionally care
less-well, they have their work to do,
and they generally do it. Scrubbing
hunks and digging sand have their
material side as well. A man who is
Obliged to shovel sand into a cart for
several hours. while an armed sentry